Bill pushes for committee to solve boundary wrangles

A committee will be established to deal with boundary disputes if a Bill before the Senate becomes law.

The committee will focus on mediation to arrive at a win-win situation as opposed to going through a court process that is usually time consuming and expensive.

The County Boundaries Bill, sponsored by Makueni Senator Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, first seeks to define the boundaries of the counties.

The Bill seeks to give effect to Article 188 of the Constitution on the alteration of county boundaries and clearly define them as set out in the districts and provinces Act of 1992.

“It sets a high threshold to be met by any party desiring to alter the boundaries of any given county,” the senator told the Nation Thursday in Nairobi.

He said since the promulgation of the Constitution, there had been multiple disputes between counties that have remained unresolved.

The Senate may pass a resolution for the establishment of such a committee upon a request by the governor of any county whose boundary is disputed.

The committee can also be constituted if a petition has directly been submitted to the Senate and approved to be before the House.

The President shall within 14 days of receipt of a resolution from the Senate appoint the mediation committee, with the approval of the senators.

“The mediation committee shall be chaired by an advocate of the High Court,” the Bill, already introduced in the Senate, reads.